Free Republic

Here in McDonald County Missouri it may not look like much right now, but this is going to be Interstate 49 in a few months. We were standing on what’s called the Missouri-Arkansas Connector, this is the portion of the Bella-Vista bypass that MPDOT is responsible for, and so far things are going just as scheduled. Right now the only traffic on the future I-49 is construction traffic. The Bella Vista bypass is a joint venture between ARDOT and MODOT. Each state is responsible for its own road. In Missouri they are on the hook for just over 5 miles...

PINEVILLE, Mo. — Gregg Sweeten had difficulty last week putting his reaction into words. When he learned that funding for the long-sought Bella Vista Bypass had been found, Sweeten, the Pineville mayor and McDonald County emergency manager, was stunned. Then he was elated. "That is amazing," Sweeten said. "That is going to be so great. I think it’s going to lead to all kinds of opportunities not only for Pineville but for McDonald County. I mean, it’s just — I just can’t say how happy I am. Wow. That is ... that’s wild. That’s amazing. That’s a Christmas present right...

AUSTIN – A property rights bill that went awry and a mandate for the Trans-Texas Corridor to follow the state's existing highway system were among the 49 bills that fell victim to Gov. Rick Perry's veto pen on Friday. Mr. Perry targeted at least two bills that he believed would open the courthouse doors to more litigation, including a bill that would have provided a greater balance in eminent domain proceedings. The bill spelled out what public land uses were acceptable in order to take private land and provided more recourse for land owners. But a provision tacked onto the...